PhD fellowship in "Unlocking museum collections: evolution of coastal ecosystems from pre-industrial to present day"

PhD Project in geology
Natural History Museum Denmark
Faculty of Science
University of Copenhagen

Natural History Museum Demark invites applicants for a PhD fellowship in ‘Unlocking museum collections: evolution of coastal ecosystems from pre-industrial to present day’ within the Geology Section.

Start date is (expected to be) 15 May or as soon as possible thereafter.

The project
Human driven climate and environmental change may have irreversible effects on marine ecosystems. Generating a pre-industrial record is therefore essential to understand these changes, and predict how increasing acidification, eutrophication and warming will affect biota in future years. Foraminifera respond rapidly to changes in marine conditions and are therefore excellent bioindicators. This project uses the historical foraminiferal collections of the Natural History Museum Denmark to assess the impacts of anthropogenic change on the Kattegat-Øresund ecosystems over the last 150 years, via benthic foraminiferal assemblage, 3D morphological traits and trace element analyses.

Within the project you will develop skills in synchrotron imaging and 3D image analysis, trace element and stable isotope analysis, foraminiferal field sampling, taxonomy and biodiversity metrics, alongside an understanding of museum collections and working with historical material. The project is in collaboration with Professor Helena Filippsson at Lund University and Dr David Evans at the University of Southampton.

Who are we looking for?
We are looking for candidates within the field(s) of geological, biological or environmental sciences. We encourage applications from skilled, innovative and enthusiastic candidates keen to work on marine environments, environmental and climate change, with an interest in museum collections.

Our group and research- and what do we offer?
The geology section at Natural History Museum Denmark is located close to the botanic garden in Copenhagen. We are an active and rapidly growing group, with several masters and PhD students and a small number of post docs. Our research ranges from palaeoclimate to microplastics to rocks billions of years old. As part of the Natural History Museum Denmark we also help to take care of the palaeontological and geological collections of the museum. We have recently moved location within the city and have newly renovated laboratory spaces specifically equipped for foraminiferal sample preparation and analysis. Additional geochemical facilities are accessible through our collaborators on the project.

About the Natural History Museum Denmark
The Natural History Museum Denmark is the Danish national museum for nature. We work to empower citizens to connect with nature with the aim to create positive change for people and planet. We want to inspire, engage, and enable people to enjoy, understand, and care for the diversity of the natural world. The impact of climate change and anthropogenic forces on biodiversity has reached a critical point. We firmly believe that natural history museums can and should play a key role towards a more sustainable relationship with nature.

We are currently building a new Danish national museum. One big museum site, in the Botanical Garden, in the center of Copenhagen, will host state-of-the-art laboratories, outstanding research collections, new public galleries, and combined facilities for programming, education, and citizen science. It is an ambition for the museum to enhance natural history and inspire curiosity, knowledge, and empowerment for the future.

The Natural History Museum consists of the national Botanical Garden, and the new museum site with public galleries, offices, laboratories, and collection space. The Botanical Garden was founded in 1600. The collections date back to Ole Worm’s Cabinet of Curiosities from around 1620. With 14 million preserved specimens and 8,000 different species in the Botanical Garden, it is the largest museum collection in Denmark. It covers our planetary history with botanical, zoological, and geological specimens from all over the world. Read more about the museum at http://www.snm.ku.dk/english/.

Principal supervisor isAssociate Professor and curator Laura Cotton, Natural History Museum Denmark, E-mail: [email protected]

The PhD programme
A three year full-time study within the framework of the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme), if you already have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master’s degree.

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Getting into a position on the regular PhD programme
Qualifications needed for the regular programme
To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme, equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project, e.g. geology, biology. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.

Terms of employment in the regular programme
Employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.

Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Responsibilities and tasks in the PhD programme

• Carry through an independent research project under supervision
• Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
• Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
• Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
• Write scientific papers aimed at high-impact journals
• Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project

We are looking for the following qualifications:

• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Relevant publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other relevant professional activities
• Curious mind-set with a strong interest in marine ecosystems and climate change
• Good language skills

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Application and Assessment Procedure
Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include:

• Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
• Your motivation for applying for the specific PhD project
• Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
• Original diplomas for Bachelor of Science or Master of Science and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted.
• Publication list (if possible)
• Reference letters (if available)

Application deadline:
The deadline for applications is 15 February 2025, 23:59 GMT +1.
We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process
After deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.

The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held in week 13

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.

[General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School’s website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/].

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position.

Københavns Universitet giver sine knap 10.000 medarbejdere muligheder for at udnytte deres talent fuldt ud i et ambitiøst, uformelt miljø. Vi sikrer traditionsrige og moderne rammer om uddannelser og fri forskning på højt internationalt niveau. Vi søger svar og løsninger på fælles problemer og gør ny viden tilgængelig og nyttig for andre.

Kontakt
Laura Jane Cotton
E-mail: [email protected]

Info
Ansøgningsfrist: 15-02-2026

Ansættelsesdato: 15-05-2026

Arbejdstid: Fuldtid

Afdeling/Sted: Natural History Museum Denmark